The Plans of Destiny Begin to March
by Squiffle
Summary: When Ivan Braginski explores Mexico and discovers it is a thriving country named Espiranza Vasquez, he falls in love with her. Now almost completely docile, how will Espiranza react when she finds herself in Russia?
1. Remembrance of the First Candence

First Chapter! Yay! Thank to those who read this and comment. Review are very much appreciated good or bad! Go for it! That's the end of my generic opening. Okay maybe not. Here's some more...

Please enjoy!

There. I think that's it.

_

* * *

The air was dank, moist and thick with whatever fungus might or might not have permeated the air. With every breath, the young girl, fit and healthy, felt as if she would drown in the many pathogens that filled her lungs. She held tight to a tiny flower that seemed to light up the room with its brilliant orange hue. The tiny flower did, in fact, glow. It pulsated slowly, but as it did, it grew brighter with every pulse._

"_Hello~?" Her voice rang and echoed. _The room must be pretty large. _She thought. She grabbed a hair band from her wrist and wrestled her ebony hair into the band, twisting it into a messy bun. With the flower leading the way, she began to explore the room, stopping only when she felt the presence of another. "Hello." She stated this time firmly, her Aztec past kicked in as she waited, listening. _

_A shadow loomed in the corner, tall and broad as the young girl noticed it out of the corner of her eye. The only thing that separated the two was the tiny orange flower, ever growing brighter. _

_Squinting her eyes, all she could see clearly were the shadows eyes- a deep amethyst, sick and twisted. _

'_Who are you?" The young Aztec fighter demanded. Her muscles were taught, ready to pounce at the stranger with even the slightest sign of malevolence. _

_It smiled and that was enough. _

_She ran at him, flower now tucked into her hair as she attempted to sweep its legs out from under it. Despite the effort, she made contact with nothing as everything began to go black._

_The light from the flower was pulled out of her hair. Now unable to see, she frantically tried to recover the flower before she heard giggling._

_The childish sound came from the other side of the room, where there was the familiar orange light, now flashing madly. Regaining her composure, the young girl stood up and looked over to see the violet eyes again. However, they were different now, soft and more of a lilac colour. Benign. They blinked and scrunched up as if the person was smiling at her. _

"_Who _are_ you?" This time, she was just confused. Never had someone bested her without the use of disease, never had she not been able to defeat an adversary that wasn't aided by mechanical beasts, so why had she lost? _

_The childish eyes closed for a second as the flower began to brighten as if set aflame. As the form began to disappear into the light, it spoke to her in an unfamiliar language. "Вскоре, мой маленький подсолнечник."{_**Soon, my little sunflower.**_}_

_Holding her arm over her eyes, the room and its inhabitant vanished._

_

* * *

_

"… anza… Come on, get up."

Opening one eye to a set of blue ones, Espiranza shot up, smashing her head against the others and sending him back. She rubbed her head slightly and realized who it was. "_Mierde!_" Espiranza ran over to help the blonde who was now rubbing his temple as well.

"God, damn, Espi! You want to fucking kill me?" The blond swore some more and got up with the help of his assailant.

_Yes. _"Sorry. I was having a nightmare." She kissed his forehead quickly. "Hermano otra vez, lo siento." {**Brother again, sorry.**} She had been waiting in the lobby for her brothers to finish their meeting. Every month, all the countries got together and 'discussed' their alliances, difficulties, and overall whatever the fuck they wanted to. Espiranza never understood why she was never invited. After all, she was Mexico. Though it was a little under-developed, it was a country and a beautiful one at that. She was both a Mayan and an Aztec, a beauty and a beast. _Maybe that's why I'm never invited._ She always told herself that, but it had never satiated her countries true wishes.

Nevertheless, it meant that she didn't have all the paperwork and meetings to keep up with, leaving more time to herself and her country. Being the oldest of the North American siblings, she wasn't nearly as brash as her Brother, Alfred, but she was much more extroverted than her brother, Matthew. Technically unrelated to either country, they nevertheless treated her like family, and that was enough for Espiranza.

Her brother, Alfred, was always closer to her than Matthew was while Matthew was always frightened of his elder sister, thus keeping them further apart. Alfred had played with Espiranza the most when they were younger, exploring together and mock fighting until Arthur, the UK, came and tamed young America.

Now that her own country was in a bind, she relied heavily upon Alfred, or to be exact, his country. She hated using him like this, but there really wasn't any other way unless, of course, Espiranza wanted to remind a certain German of a Telegram he once sent her.

The two countries began to leave when they remembered their little brother hadn't joined them just yet.

Alfred's stomach began to growl as he sighed. He leaned back and called out to Matthew. "C'moooon, Maatt! I'm Frickin' STARVING!"

No response.

"MATT!" Alfred turned and marched back to the conference room, his Hispanic sister following reluctantly behind. "I swear! You better not be talking to that EX-nation again!"

_Ah shit. _Their dear, innocent little brother was, in fact, totally macking on Gilbert, an albino whose only reason for anything was that he was 'awesome'.

Before even Mexico could stop him, Alfred threw himself at the Prussian, knocking him right off the desk (That just so happened to be America's) and they crashed right into the cement walls.

Her brother, after wrestling the unsuspecting man to the ground, began to just wail on the ex-nation. In an effort to assist his master, a tiny yellow bird began pecking at the American's face. He got Alfred in the eye, causing him to yell out and overall pissing him the fuck off even more.

The distraction was enough to allow the now injured man to flip his attacker over onto the ground to allow his own getaway. Matthew ran over to Gilbert, now bleeding profusely, and pulled him away, keeping his lover from sending vengeful kicks into his cock-blocking brother's face.

"Fucking pansy-ass poser!" Alfred yelled to Gilbert. He was quickly chastised by his brother who, uncharacteristically, snapped back at him.

"Just shut the fuck up, Alfred!" Matthew shoved Gilbert away from Alfred and began his own assault on the injured nation. "You didn't have to go and beat the crap out of him!"

"I had to! Do you know what he would've done to you?" Now standing, Alfred pointed viciously at Gilbert.

"_Ich bin immer noch hier, du schwein!_" The Prussian hissed at Alfred but was silenced by a single frightening look from Matthew. {**I'm still here, you pig!**}

While the three guys quarreled, Espiranza sat in a corner, mashing unknown herbs from her satchel on the table closest to her. She hummed quietly as she was ignored by her brothers. She took a leftover cup of water that sat on the desk and poured a few drops onto her the mysterious goo, creating a liquid that smelled of burning flesh in a lake of fire. She winced slightly and glanced back up at her brothers and Gilbert.

_Idiotas.  
_

_They're my brothers._

_Siguen siendo estúpido. {**They're still stupid.**}  
_

_Yes, well, that's why I'm taking control of the situation. I don't want them to make a fool of themselves. _Espiranza gave Mexico an obviously fake excuse. She really just wanted to use her poison again. She hadn't since her wild days of Mayan beauty and Aztec fury. Pulling a hair pin out of her long, abysmally black mane, she poured some of the now liquid concoction into another cup and walked over to the three men.

"_La hora de la tontería hasta el final._" {**It's time to end this nonsense.**} Her brown eyes lightened to amber as she swung her arm gracefully through the air to where Matthew and Gilbert were and lightly poked them both with her needle. Returning her assaulting arm back to her body, she dipped the needle back into the mixture and spun around and punctured Alfred's skin as well. In a matter of milliseconds, all three men were slumping over and falling into the comforting arms of the hardwood floor. Her eyes darkened back to their earthy tone as the Hispanic girl began to clean up her mess of herbs and water.

Just as she threw away her cup of country tranquilizer, a tall, smiling blond strolled through the door. His eyes went first to the three countries that were slumped on the ground and then to the pretty girl that promptly picked up two of them and lugged them onto her shoulders.

Espiranza, with a brother on each shoulder, stopped when she notice the strange man standing in the doorway watching her. She put on a big smile as she managed to slide her satchel out of sight.

"There was much yelling earlier, Da?" The man said through a mask of happiness.

The Mexicans finger twitched slightly, but she responded kindly. "My brothers had a bit of an argument and tired themselves out." She threw Matthew up slightly ensure that she had a good hold of him. "Gilbert got caught up in it," She nodded over to the collapsed Prussian and looked back to the stranger. "and I'm not strong enough to carry him home as well." Espiranza began walking over to the exit that was still blocked by the tall man.

"So long as the fighting has stopped." The man, still smiling, walked over to the desk where Espiranza had created her concoction and pulled out a large yellow envelope. He stopped and sniffed at the air. "Why's it so smelly?" He looked at her questioningly and she gulped. He sniffed around, slowly getting closer and closer to his desk.

_What the fuck?_ The Mexican girl began to panic as she sped walked to the door. _Highly Illegal. Crime. PUNISHMENT! _She did not want to get caught for using such a method to pacify a few countries. She left the room, only catching a glimpse of the man as he shot a look of accusation at her with his violet eyes.

The strange girl practically ran out of the room with both North Americans on her shoulders. Ivan had never seen anything like it but he was still more intrigued by the smell that practically saturated the air. He remembered this smell, but from where? Or even, when?

He flashed back to a day when he was much younger. _Sickly humidity, her amber eyes that were hungry and powerful, and the flowers. So many beautiful flowers. _

_Она даже не помню. {_**She did not even remember.**_}  
_

_Who?_

_Эта девушка. Разве вы не помните? {_**This girl. Do not you remember?**_}  
_

Ivan thought about this. Who was she? Russia grew impatient with the man practically screaming her name at the childish man.

_Мексика! _

Mexico. It was Mexico! That where the smell came from! As a hunter, she always carried a satchel made of leopard hide with many herbs, roots, and whatever else she could fit into it. As a human, she had been beyond compare. He couldn't believe that the smiling girl he had seen carrying the two nations was the same person. Then again, the Mexico he remembered never did show her true strength to others…

_What was her name again?_ Again, racking his memory as much as the man could, Ivan tapped impatiently on his still wreaking desk. He stopped and pulled his hand off of his desk when the tips of his fingers began to tingle. He lifted them up to his face and inspected the sensation when the memory hit him. _Epiranza Vasquez._


	2. Out of Step

Carrying the weight of her two brother nations, Espiranza took the two blondes back to America. Alfred's house was stuck in between all three siblings' homes, so it made it easier for everyone to leave once they had awakened.

Nevertheless, the meeting had been in Germany, so it was quite a fair distance from Alfred's home. The now exhausted Mexican girl opened the door and practically dropped both brothers onto the same couch. They crumpled together, breathing slow and heavy.

Espiranza gasped, falling into a soft lazyboy of her own, pulling her large satchel onto her lap. As she began to grope the inside, she smiled internally, thinking about how the larger nation had looked at her. _Must've been hilarious seeing a girl carrying two large countries on her shoulders. _She grabbed a tiny vial of clear liquid and closed her bag. Walking over to Alfred, she waved the now open vial under his nose, allowing for an even harsher smell than the tranquilizer to waft into his nostrils and thus awakening him. He sat up as if alarmed and watched as his sister did the same to Matthew.

Like his brother, Matthew looked around, eyes wide and furious as he searched and soon found his brother. Matthew grabbed his brother by the shoulders and continued to yell at the now confused man. "You're such a dick, Alfred!" Matthew shook him firmly as Alfred flopped in his brother's grasp. "You're playing the fucking hero and ruining my life to pursue you're pathetic obsessions!"

Espiranza pulled Matthew off of Alfred who, clearly hadn't fully gotten over the poison. The still pissed Canadian attempted to shrug the girl and he hissed at her. "Ne me touche pas, la crasse!" {**Don't touch me, filth!**}

She flinched but held on to him, tightening her grip on her brother. "Brother, calm down." Espiranza firmly ordered Matthew as she held him back.

Matthew struggled against the strength of the nation holding him. "You are _not _my sister!" The piercing statement startled the Mexican and he managed to get free, standing up hastily in front of her.

Espiranza's heart ached as she stood in front of the glowering blonde. In a huff, He turned and left. Matthew was red in the face as he stormed out of the house, slamming the door as he left for his country.

Taking a quick breath, the now gloomy girl went over to her still delirious brother. Alfred was barely sitting up on the couch, bracing himself on the arm with his head cocked to his side, looking questioningly at Espiranza.

"Matthew's still upset, Al." She walked over to her brother and helped him sit up completely. She patted his hands as she looked at him soothingly.

Although he couldn't move so well, Alfred could still speak coherently. "I know, but it's his fault." He looked to his sister who faced the ground solemnly. Alfred sighed. "He didn't mean it, Espi. You know that." He managed to flop an arm over her shoulder in an attempt to console her. "He's just sexually frustrated and needs to take it out on someone." Alfred began to flex his hands as he slowly began to regain full control of his extremities. Satisfied of his control, he squeezed the shoulder of his hurt sister, again trying to relax her.

With her hair falling over her face to cover her glazed over eyes, she stood up and began to head out. "You will be fine in a matter of minutes, mi hermano {**my brother**}. I'm going back to my home." She picked up her satchel as she headed for the door. "Nos vemos más tarde." {** See you later.** }

"Espiranza!" Alfred called out to his sister. "He really didn't mean it, ya' know."

She turned and smiled at her brother as she let herself out.

* * *

A week had gone by before Matthew returned to America to see his brother where he was greeted by an expected hug from above. Alfred had apologized to his Matthew for reacting negatively to his brother's choice in companions. Alfred never wanted to upset Matthew, but only hoped to protect him from someone known to be vainly irregular. He told himself this but really, he just didn't like the fact that the Prussian had five meters. Matthew accepted his brother's apology not only for the new-found freedom he had received for sticking up for himself, but Matthew needed someone to wipe the ice with in the coming hockey season.

Despite the seemingly happy reunion of the brothers, Alfred's questions did not relent when it came to Espiranza. He demanded that Matthew apologized to her as soon as possible. The Canadian reluctantly agreed, fearing how his sister would react to his request of forgiveness. She had stopped the fight, spared all three of the guys from becoming severely injured, and ensured that both himself and Alfred had returned home (Prussia was in his own country and the poison only last for a day max, thus, she had no need for his concern). Espiranza deserved a big 'thank you' from the both of them and especially from her younger brother for keeping the Prussian safe from Alfred. Instead, she was met with insults that ripped open her heart.

They had been searching for her for the entirety of the week that followed their reunion. She had not been in her own country and was nowhere in either of theirs.

A haze of guilt followed Matthew as he searched for his sister. _Why had I said that? She didn't deserve it._

_ Un rat jungle sales mérite d'être chassées . {**A filthy jungle rat deserves to be hunted. **}_

_ She's my sister, _internally yelling at the country inside him. Canada did not care for Espiranza the same way that Matthew did. It was the snippity French influence on him that made Canada hate the so-called 'uncivilized collection of failures'. That, and Matthew still could not control his inner country as well as either of his siblings. This was probably a result of him being forgotten so often. Regardless of what his inner country told him, Matthew relentlessly searched for his only sister, only prepared to stop for the next upcoming World Meeting…

* * *

Espiranza hopped onto the train, flashing a man her ticket and a smile before finding a seat to sit in. She had traveled back to Germany to make sure that Gilbert had recovered safely from her little concoction. Although all traces and symptoms should've been long gone, she still went back in fear that he had a unique reaction to it. She had shown up to Ludwig's house, dressed in warm jeans and a thick peat coat jacket. She had knocked on the door to the two brothers' home where Feliciano, a small Italian that had an affinity for the brutish German, opened the door and let her in. He happily showed her to where Gilbert was lying, slightly salivating on his own shirt as he flipped through channel to watch on tv.

"So when did he wake up?" Espiranza asked Feliciano as she took off her coat and threw it on the opposite side of the sofa that was occupied by Gilbert.

"_Ve_~ about four hours ago I think." He shrugged and began to play with a nearby gray cat that had a ribbon of black, red, and yellow tied around its neck.

_It's a good thing I came here right after going to Alfred's. _She had a flashback of what had happened and what Canada and Matthew had both said. She felt nauseous for a brief second and then focused back to Gilbert who still had half of his mouth sagging at the corner.

_His whole face could've been paralyzed if I had shown up later. _She walked over to the Prussian that didn't notice her until she sat down next to him. "Hola, Gilbert." She said suavely.

He glanced over to her and then back to the tv. "Hello, American pet." He didn't look at her as a glob of saliva ran down his cheek. He didn't even notice.

The Hispanic girl shuddered. _That's so gross. _She felt through her satchel again and grabbed a small tube of some reddish goo. After a quick inspection, she put her bag aside and turned back to Gilbert.

Feliciano watched curiously as she squeezed some of the substance out of the tube and put it on her finger. It smelled of spice and fruit, but it was unknown to the Italian what exactly.

"Gilbert, I need you to let me put this on your mouth." Her request seemed to go unheard before the albino grunted in approval. She put the red gel at the corner of the man's mouth and spread over his cheek as gently as she could. She flinched at her touch but relaxed again when she was finished applying her treatment. He wiped off whatever remained of the red gel onto her jeans as she sat back slightly. "There! Now the poison won't spread and paralyze the rest of your face!" She smiled at her and he looked at her with a baffled expression that made his now half red and half sagging face look even more ridiculous.

"Weren't you the one who did this?" He asked as if he truly didn't remember the girl swiftly stabbing him and knocking him out.

"No." She stated. There was no need for her abilities to be known, let alone someone who was already close to her

"But you were there with Mattie and his unawesome brother." He scratched his head, attempting to remember the previous night.

Ludwig walked in at that moment and after a glance at his silly looking brother, and the normally stoic German busted out laughing. "Mein Gott, brüder, You look even worse!" Ludwig continued to laugh, clutching his side and bending over when breathing became a struggle.

Gilbert waved him away," You're just jealous that you can't look and smell this awesome after getting some from a totally cute blonde!" He stretched out on the couch and recovered the remote, resuming his channel surfing.

"Technically, brüder, you got your face pummeled instead." Ludwig straightened up as he correct Gilbert.

Gilbert scoffed as Espiranza smiled at both of them. Though she had just seen them, she missed both Matthew and Alfred. _Everything will work out. _She told herself.

Getting up, she grabbed her satchel and her coat. "I'll just be going now. Gilbert'll be better in a few minutes." She began to let herself out when she was hugged by Feliciano. "arrivederci! Ve~!"

Ludwig walked over as the Italian released the Mexican. "I really do appreciate what you've done for mein brüder." He gripped her hand firmly and released it.

"It really was no trouble." She smiled sweetly as she let herself out, back into the cold European weather.

_Where to go now. _Without really a plan, Espiranza had returned to Europe and now that she knew that Gilbert would recover, she thought that she might as well look around.

* * *

"General Winter is coming." Ivan looked out his window seeing a sky, chalky and gray. He sighed; no doubt the General would be harsher this year than the previous. Ivan continued to stare off into the fields of his country, bored and lonely.

Toris found Russia staring out the window and timidly redirected the Russians attention. "S-sir. Dinner is prepared." He rubbed his hands together as he waited for his master to respond.

"Da. I'll be down in a moment, Litva." Toris scurried away as Ivan slowly got up.

He began down the stairs to the dining room, but instead, Ivan grabbed his old black coat from his Soviet days and left his house inconspicuously.


	3. How to Sync Two Strangers

Ivan wandered around the land of Russia. He didn't really know what he was going to do, but the fresh air felt good on his face and in his lungs as he breathed it in. _I wonder what that Mexico girl is up to right now. _He thought back to her long black hair and the almost golden eyes that he hadn't seen when she had carried two countries away. The golden eyes he remembered from seeing her years ago, when he had visited in order to see whether the country was good enough to become a Soviet.

_He swatted away a large branch out of way, only for it to be quickly replaced by another that came back and whacked him in the face .Now livid; the unrelenting blonde pulled out his shot gun and pointed it at the branch._ "_Ебать эту страну" {Fuck this country}. He blasted a path through the forest, smiling sweetly as birds tore through the canopy escaping the showers of lead and powder. He began to hum a tune as he came upon a clearing._

_ There was a large boulder in the center of the clearing and a cliff that served as a barrier from escape. At the bottom of the wall grew many tiny orange and yellow sunflowers that spread out and into the jungle on either side. _So pretty. _He thought as he sighed, walking over to the cliff wall and sitting in front of the flowers. He pulled one out of the ground, rubbing the petals softly between his gloved fingers. Ivan frowned, took off his glove, and felt how soft the petals truly were. _

_ "You're a little far from home, Russian." A charming voice growled from behind Ivan. _

_ Ivan looked to his left slightly only to acknowledge the presence as he continued to skim the edge of the petals with his finger. "Da. And who are you?" He turned his head further in order to vaguely see an attractive tan female sitting on the boulder behind him. _

_ There was the sound of steel against stone as the girl responded. "You have no right to ask questions here." _

_ Ivan got up and turned to face the girl, still gripping the flower, and saw Mexico for the first time. She was playing with a sword that seemed to have once belonged to a conquistador. She was also wearing leather sandals and some a white cloth that was wrapped around her hips to make a skirt. She had on a thick red cloak with a white edging that covered her torso. A thick necklace that seemed to be made of thin gold bars could be seen over the cloak and she had a ruby pin holding her long black hair up. _

_ The girl gave a striking smile as she put her hand into her satchel, her brown eyes turning gold as she did…_

… …

* * *

"Hn?" Ivan looked around. Apparently, he had walked a bit farther than he thought and was now next to some train tracks that were iced over. The tracks often froze over in the winter, so travel by train was considered very dangerous and not many people utilized it. However, when he saw the train on its side and getting buried in oncoming snow, he decided to make sure no one he knew was hurt.

He finally got to the last car and, after kicking in the steel door, he jumped into the train and looked around. Because it was still warm, Ivan naturally assumed that the wreck had happened recently. He hadn't found anyone so far, so everyone must've gotten out safely. He hopped through yet another horizontal doorway to see piles of empty baggage that had fallen. Among the bags was one that was familiar to the man. A leopard print bag hung over some of the others, barely peeking out from under everything.

Before even thinking, Ivan reached over and grabbed the satchel, pulling it out of the pile and revealing a bleeding hand. _Mexico. _The Russian grabbed the tan wrist and pulled the rest of the girl out of the seat.

Espiranza's head was bleeding a little as well, but what Ivan notice first was that her entire arm was enough, there was the jingling of broken glass coming from the girl's bag and he could only assume that her own poison had been going through her system.

Ivan threw the still passed out girl onto her shoulder (much like how she had done to her brothers), put the bag in his pocket, and exited the train through the nearest possible way.

He could feel the girls arm shaking against his body, so he pressed her closer to him protectively as he ran back to his home and could only hope that it was one of her less lethal makings.

Eduard was the first to notice his master running back to the house and, no doubt learning from past experience, opened the door as he ran through the entry. "Toris! Raivas! Fetch towels and blankets!" The two weren't even present but they showed up, Toris with blankets and Raivas with some towels. Throwing a small, innocent table out of the way, Ivan cleared a space on the floor and set her down as gently as the man possibly could. " Eduard, I need a diagnosis." Ivan threw the satchel at him, making the bag jingle with the broken glass.

Being the smartest of the Baltics, Eduard glanced at the contents of the bag, then at the quivering girl and stated nervously, but concretely. "S-some sort of muscle inhibitor is spreading through her system. For her to recover, it must be r-removed or there may not be a recovery." Nothing else needed to be said.

Ivan, pulling a large hunting knife out of his boot, unsheathed it and, as he restrained the girl's arm, cut a deep, but small opening. "Будь со мной и сохранить эту девушку. " Instantly, blood began to pump out of the exit wound until Ivan put his mouth to the wound. He began to extract whatever he could in order to remove the poison from Espiranza's system. Raivas laid some of the towels out for the laboring Russian to spit the blood onto as he continued.

The metallic tang of the blood was noticeably numbed by some other essence, so until he could taste it no more, Ivan sucked the poison out as his servants watched in horror. Once he could taste nothing more but blood, Ivan wiped his mouth of excess body fluids and beckoned his servants over. He could feel how cold her arm was now that she had lost so much blood, but that concern was quickly dismissed and replaced. Raivas diligently pressed clean gauze firmly to the wound while Toris prepared stitches and Eduard had peroxide ready to clean the gash.

Arm now sewn up, cleaned, and bandaged, the still unresponsive girl was carried up to Ivan's bedroom (by no one other than Ivan himself) to rest on the nicest bed in the house. He placed her down onto the goose feather down bed and covered the girl in a soft heavy comforter to keep the girl from getting too cold in the unknown home. The dusty blonde brushed some ebony strands out of the girls face and stood up to leave. He looked her over with his orchid eyes in wonder. _Mexico, why were you even here?_ She had no reason to be anywhere that wasn't North America, and yet here she was, injured and unconscious in his house. Innocent thoughts played through his mind as he saw the two together in the untamed country of the girl's homeland.

Alone. _Maybe she came to see me. _Ivan wanted to believe that the untamed girl he had fallen in love with so many years ago had come searching for him.

Ivan smiled to himself before he heard a knock on the door and a feeble voice coming through. "Sir, should I bring in her belongings?" Toris had retrieved the jacket and bag and waited outside for Ivan's response.

"Da. Come in, Litva." He stepped further from the bed as the young Lithuanian walked in. He draped the black jacket over a nearby chair and handed the satchel to Ivan who was still watching the girl with unease. "What do you think?"

"She's very beautiful, sir." Ivan quickly shot a death glare at the now quivering man who quickly changed the subject. "D-do you know her f-from somewhere, sir?"

Ivan's dark glow lightened as he smiled up to the ceiling, recalling the confrontation. "Da. From long ago."

"Ah."

"Toris, do you think that she'd want to stay here with me?" The question came unexpected and Toris was dancing with danger with the sensitive question. Ivan's eyes were pleading and vulnerable making the tiny man look away in discomfort.

"I'm not sure sir." He looked to the sleeping girl and then back to the floor. "She's very far from home, a-and it's very d-different here than where she's from."

Ivan frowned. He was right. She wouldn't be comfortable here unless…

Unless she loved him back!

Ivan beamed down at Toris, who shrank down even further in confusion. "Toris, you will help me with Mexico." He brought a gloved hand down upon his subordinate's shoulder and continued to smile. "I want her to stay here, understand?" A slight darkness crept over the Russian with his last word, to which Toris nearly ran away screaming.

The Lithuanian remained where he stood for fear of a punishment if he had fled. "O-of course, s-sir." He was turned around at his reply as they both finally left the room.

"Good." Toris didn't look up at him, but he could tell by Ivan's voice that there was still a big grin plastered on his face.

Ivan unexpectedly shoved Toris towards the stairs as he himself continued to walk around the upper level of the house. "I want everything to be perfect, Litva!" Again with a sinister tone, Ivan smiled and sauntered gleefully away.

_Oh, dear god. _The Lithuanian made his way downstairs, praying that the girl did have feelings for his horrifying boss. Arriving back to the kitchen, Toris informed Eduard and the smaller Raivas of the situation and was sure that the others started praying internally as well.

"Well," Eduard was the first to speak. "Let's just hope that they have as much in common as possible." He began to return to the stove when Raivas spoke up.

"Or let's hope that they kill each other."

The other two stood in shock with the comment, but secretly they also hoped for it.


	4. Two games, One team

A new Chapter! Yay! Everything should get a lot more interesting after this one! (Oh no! Foreshadowing!) Anyway, Enjoy!

* * *

The air was cold and thick with who knows what, but all Espiranza knew was that this was neither Mexico nor America nor Canada. She found herself in a large bed that was adorned with an almost oversized head board behind her. The deep crimson wood had what seemed to be a battle carved into it, forever a remembrance of something significant. Of what exactly she did not know, but the disoriented girl did not care. All she knew for sure was that she was in someone's bed, in someone's house, in someone's country. Being a nation herself, it was extremely damaging to wake up in another.

Still dazed, she kicked the blankets clumsily off of her and swung her legs over the bed. The stinging air around her quickly attacked her exposed skin and caused her to grind her teeth. _Where the hell am I? _Last she remembered, she had gotten onto a train from Feliks' place and was on her way to meet Mathias for a drink. Where ever she was, it was fucking freezing and the Mexican girl was getting irritated. She barely noticed the nagging pain that came from her arm. When she did, she brushed her fingertips against the gauze as she found her jacket and pursued it. She pulled only one limb through the also cold, but welcoming, jacket allowing room for the other to hang against her side in pain. She could barely walk and her arm was even slower to respond as she made her way to the door. There was no way in hell that she was going to stay and wait in a stranger's bedroom.

Espiranza made her way out and nearly fell into the hallway that she now found herself in. The floor was freezing to her bare feet as she stepped out and looked around. There was only a limited amount of light in the hallway and what little she found, she followed, bringing her to the staircase from a tiny window that hung over it. Awkward and practically lumbering around like an idiot, the uncharacteristically gawky girl took a step on the staircase and began to slowly descend.

* * *

Uncoordinated footsteps were heard from the upper level as Ivan perked up from the kitchen table. He had been eating breakfast that his little servants had prepared alone and the noise had awakened him from his dreamy state. The footsteps were unpredictable, making the anxious Russian even more uneasy as he waited.

Growing impatient, he stood up and made his way to the stairs to have the girl that he's been worrying over practically fall into his arms. That's how Ivan saw it, anyways.

Espiranza didn't see with the same innocence as the childish blonde and quickly jumped away, stumbling back on to the last step as she created a safe distance between them. "Mijo, es mejor que no puta me toques!{**Mijo, You best not fucking touch me!**}" She snapped her fingers viciously at the man who, arms still out, just stared back, perplexed at the strange reaction.

He was shocked by the sudden change in the girl but then noticed that her eyes had turned a fierce gold in her panic. _It _is _you. _Ivan was so pleased. With a welcoming grin, he lowered his arms that tingled pleasantly from the brief contact. "You are awake? Then you must be hungry, little jungle cat." He turned and beckoned the defensive girl over. "Come."

Mexico did not take his hand immediately before Espiranza regained control over her country enough that when Ivan reached out and took her hand, he was not met with a kick to the head. Instead she allowed herself to be led back to the kitchen, planning out her escape if the strange man decided to endanger her. She did not have her bag, so she ruled poisoning him out as an option for escape. She was led to the table where a fresh cup of coffee had replaced the remains of Ivan's own meal.

Ivan pulled the chair out for her as she practically collapsed into the seat. The Mexican girl stared at him intensely as he took his own seat on the side of the table next to her, keeping a safe distance between them. _I mustn't frighten her further. _

_"Возьмите ее. Тогда ей придется остаться с нами."_{ **Take her. Then she will stay with us**}Russia said selfishly.

Ivan winced as the country sent images of the beautiful girl, bloodied and beaten and as a new part of Russia, helping him take over the rest of North America and then the world. The idea was appealing. She was beautiful, powerful, and a woman. The ideas were quickly pushed aside for Ivan did not want to see Mexico hurt.

"Do I know you?" Espiranza questioned, unaware of what the man next to her was thinking about.

Ivan looked up at her, now full of pure joy that she remembered him, even slightly.

His violet eyes struck a note as Espiranza recalled one of her more forgotten days. "Ah, yes." Her golden eyes opened wider as the memory resurfaced in her mind. "I remember now." She smiled and turned to Ivan. "The young Soviet, si?" She looked him over and recalled the man in a different uniform, but with the same eyes and the same almost white hair. "So I must be in Russia?"

"Da. except I am a Soviet no longer." A slight tint of sadness crossed Ivan's face as he remembered his days when he was at his most powerful.

The expression was quickly noticed by the sharp girl as she stretched over and patted his hand swiftly. She looked up at his face as she did, eyes warm and kind.

Ivan noticed that her once golden eyes had begun to darken into the earthy brown he saw after the last meaning, but forgot about it as she touched his hand.

"Then what should I call you, One who no longer a Soviet?" She beamed sweetly at Ivan who promptly began to feel like there was something bubbling inside his stomach. She giggled slightly as she, to Ivan's dismay, pulled back her still functioning arm.

"Ivan Braginski." He stated firmly as he remembered that she was probably still in much pain, forgetting any scheme he had to try touch her again.

"Well, Señor Ivan," She nodded to the Russian as she rubbed her arm softly. "My name is Espiranza Vasquez and I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what happened to my arm." _And why I'm here at _your_ house. _She kept her skeptic thoughts in her own head where it couldn't get her into more trouble.

"Ah, yes." Ivan recalled the entire story back to Espiranza, who listened intently. How he had been walking around and had found her, unconscious and bleeding in a train. How he had rushed her back where he cut open her arm to try and remove the venom that was pumping through her system. He avoided telling her how the poisoned was removed and not even mentioning the whereabouts of her bag of toxins.

* * *

Afterwards, he watched her as his words flowed through her head. Finally, the tortuous half a minute of silence was broken. "So, what happened to my bag, señor?" Her head turn to the side innocently with the question and yet the intimidating aura was clearing visible through her dark eyes.

Ivan's own darkness began to surface as Russia chuckled in the back of Ivan's mind. "I don't know. It wasn't with you." He watched as her ominous cloud vanished and was replaced by a somber one. "But will you be staying here until you find it, Da?"

_The fuck I will! _Espiranza quickly looked over Ivan and noticed swirling winds of white that hissed outside, waiting for her to return to her icy fate. Being from Mexico, she had an extremely low tolerance for the cold and Espiranza did not want to risk the death of her country in wastelands of Russia.

Ivan smiled at the lack of response and got up happily, leaning over the table slightly. "Then it's decided!" She watched him as he came over and put his hands firmly on Espiranza's shoulders. "You will stay with me until you find your bag!"

_Great. _Espiranza sighed and glanced alluringly up at the Russian behind her. "Very well. I'll stay either until I find my bag, or until the next World Meeting." Her own darkness arose as Mexico smiled at the circumstances. "Bueno?"

_ Excelente._

Ivan thought for a second_. Более чем достаточно времени _{**More than enough time**}_. _Russia smugly said.

"Okay!" Ivan chimed.

From the kitchen, Toris, Eduard, and Raivas were crouching behind a counter listening to everything. A glimmer of hope shone as they all thought that Ivan's attention would be distracted from them as long as this girl remained. The same exact thought entered their minds as they gave each other a knowing glance. If their master was going to be distracted from abusing them by this girl, there was only one thing that they could do to keep themselves uninjured.

They must help Espiranza fall in love with Ivan.


	5. Fatal Torch Final Thrill

Wow. Two in a day. I'm awesome. Then again, I probably made even more mistakes in this one than in the second one (Yeah, I know I messed up). Ah well! Please continue helping me with translations and sending reviews! It really does inspire me!

p.s. I think that this is my favourite chapter so far...

* * *

Espiranza was given her own room that was right next to Ivan's in both quality and location, but not, however, in size. She didn't really know exactly how to feel about that, but she didn't complain. Apparently Ivan's servants (of whom she hadn't met yet while coherent) all had to share one tiny room, so she didn't complain over her situation. All she knew was that: A. She had to go and find her bag if she wanted to return home or B. She could wait until the next world meeting where she could leave without her bag. That wasn't exactly an option because that old satchel practically held her heart and soul. She couldn't leave it here in the freezing wastes of Russia in the possible possession of Ivan himself. Always wary, Espiranza didn't believe Ivan when he said that he had no idea where her satchel was. After asking him about it as he showed her around the large house, he merely smiled in response and said she'd just have to find it. Growling to herself, Espiranza leaned against the end of the bed of which had an annoying dark brown board to match the large head board. _Where do I even begin? Why the hell did I even agree to this._ She was still in her old clothes and it had dawned on her that she had no other clothing to wear let alone any that could ensure her survival in the frigid country.

Her arm was still hanging at her side not from lack of functionality, but so that the cautious girl could keep it from getting further damage. She looked around the room one more time. It was a beautiful room adorned with Russian antiques and just enough gold to modestly show the wealth that the country used to possess. Very different from her own home. Too bad she didn't care.

She opened the door and walked down the hall to Ivan's door and knocked on it. She didn't really hear or understand what was said, but the fact the Espiranza heard a response at all was enough for her to walk in.

Ivan's room had two sections. One of which had what seemed like an office or a study and the other where she had woken up in. Both sections were visible from the door so the Hispanic girl saw that the Russian was at his desk reading.

Ivan looked up from his book, expression changing to a sweet smile as he looked at Espiranza. "Hello there, little jungle cat. You room is to your liking, I hope."

"Except that it is quite empty, mi amigo." Being nice to this man would make finding her satchel so much easier despite Espiranza's distrust of him. She continued, using her most charming voice. "But being from a much warmer country, well," She sighed, "it's just hard to adjust."

Ignoring the hint, Ivan responded. "I thought that it would be easy for you. You were a warrior at one point, da?" He closed his book, folded his hands together, and just looked very disappointed in the girl that he had such an affinity for. "I guess I was wrong."

Ivan's little passive aggression did not sit well with the Mexican as she got closer to his desk. She put her hands on the edge and leaned over so that the two countries were face to face, forgetting all about the plan to be courteous. Her face and the back of her neck became heated as she held in her anger.

Ivan watched contently as the beautiful woman came closer, her eyes lightened as she leaned in close to him. She smelled of flowers and earth as Ivan blinked at the aroma. Internally, he had a battle with himself. Half of him wanted to do nothing else but reach into the striking woman's hair and pull her closer. The other half didn't want to die just yet so he maintained his distant smile as she spoke.

"Now, Russian, Escuche." Her eyebrows rose as she became more aggressive and her accent became more dominant. "I'm going out to get some clothes and I'm taking one of the little pups that you keep around to lick up your messes. Comprendo?"

Ivan shrugged. He didn't want to show that her ferocity was a major turn on to him. "If you can find one, you can take one with you." He reached into his long tan jacket and produced a rugged brown wallet from which a blue card appeared. He held it over him shoulder with two fingers as he stared into the amber of Espiranza's eyes. "Or I could summon one of them for you. 1, 2, or 3?"

The question confused Espiranza for a split second, but her quick response didn't let on to it. "2." She stated, now standing straight up with her hands on her hips.

"Eduard!" Ivan called out to the young man and was instantly pleased by the quick response.

Eduard, straightening his glasses, huffed as he reported to his master. "Yes sir?"

Ivan handed him the blue card happily. "Espiranza wants to go buy some things. Go with her." He nodded over to the girl and closed his eyes as he smiled again. "Take my jacket." This time he was talking to Espiranza who indifferently looked back at the smug man. "General winter spares no one."

Espiranza cocked her head to the side proudly. "Gracias." She turned and left, forgetting about Eduard.

Attempting to catch up to the girl, Eduard grabbed the black Soviet jacket and began to follow her when he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"Don't let her out of your sights, da? Or else." His light purple eyes turned a deep amethyst with his warning making Eduard stiffen a bit in fear as he looked up into them.

"Yes, sir." The Russian removed his hand and Eduard hurried after his charge, jacket in hand and credit card in his pocket.

They arrived in a large shopping mall that shielded the two from the howling winds that they'd escaped from. Still wearing Ivan's jacket, Espiranza looked around. "Now, what to get."

The two countries spent all day in the mall, Eduard trying to keep up with the excited girl as she haggled with clerks and searched for the best bargain. Eduard eventually noticed that for every single thing she bought, Espiranza wound up with about three extra. After a few hours of shopping, the two began their return back to Russia's home. Eduard took this as an opportunity to inquire Espiranza's possible relationship with his master.

"So what is your opinion of my master?" He tried to seem as inconspicuous as possible. Being the most intelligent of the three, Eduard did not have as much ability to sense peoples feeling so he had to ask for the facts directly. "Pretty scary, huh?" He chuckled falsely.

The nervousness in his tone went overlooked by Espiranza as she stepped knee deep in a pile of snow. "Not really. I kind of wish he was though. I remember him as a Soviet. Compared to that, he seems so tame now." She laughed herself as she jumped out of the pile and swatted the persistent white crystals off her pants. "As I'm one to say anything!"

"Why is that?" He readjusted the strap of one of the bags he carried as Eduard watched the girl play in the snow.

"My past was… unstable to say the least." She came back to Eduard's side and continued. "The Aztecs always demanded human sacrifices, the Mayans up and vanished, and then Spain came and…" Memories flooded her mind of the day Spain came and practically destroyed her country with diseases and weapons, not to mention what he did to her. All she wanted to remember was blood,disease, and gunpowder. She shoved the memories aside and gave Eduard a comforting gaze. "It was definitely tough," was all she could say.

Eduard thought to himself as the silence grew as they walked. This girl, this country, had so much in common with Russia. Overlooking the facts that politically and economically their countries were similar, but as people, Ivan and Espiranza both had this sinister personality that was hidden by joy. He admitted, however, that Espiranza was more skilled at hiding her darker side than Ivan but, sadly, it still didn't help her form alliances with other countries. Not to mention that both could be pretty violent when provoked and Eduard didn't want to think about how that would work out in a romantic relationship. All he knew was that it would and that thought gave him hope.

Espiranza walked mindlessly as she recalled that day in the clearing where she had last seen Ivan.

* * *

...

"_You have no right to ask questions here." _

_The strange man got up and turned to look at her, holding a small sunflower in his hand. She noticed him looking at her new sword as she reached back into her satchel grabbing a small tin that was also from the bastard Spaniard. _

'_Voy a envenenarlo y dejarlo en el océano.' {_I will poison him and dump him in the ocean} _The country inside her snickered, knowing that the man was too distracted by her beauty to see the danger he was in. _

"_Let me see your sword." The strange blonde commanded. _

_Mexico was encouraged by the man's abruptness as she removed the lid on the tin and applied the mixture to her lips. She hopped off the boulder and sauntered over to the man, dragging the weapon in the dirt and she did. She lifted it up to eye level as she approached the Soviet in a seemingly subdued façade. _

_Ivan, now close enough to kill her, grabbed the native by her wrists and pulled the weapon out of her hands letting it drop to the ground. He pulled her close and smelled the faint smell of burning flesh masked by that of flowers. _

_Ignoring the smell, he stared into her hungry golden eyes. "Become one with me. With Russia." _

_The Aztec came in closer to the Russian, their lips only a breath away. "Maybe once I am conquered…" She pulled him down and kissed him fiercely. _

_The Soviet, surprised by her strength, gave into the kiss until he felt that his mouth was on fire. It wasn't the normal sensation of a passionate kiss. It was that and the actually feeling that his mouth had been set aflame. He pushed the woman away forcefully, dropping the sunflower, as she laughed at him._

"_Now you will die, Intruso!" She laughed as she picked up her sword and walked back over to the man that was now gripping his throat. "Farewell, Soviet Russia." She looked down into his eyes and suddenly felt pity for him. She kicked the flower towards him and whispered sternly to him. "That flower is your only salvation."_

_Mexico shook her head, confused at saying anything kind to this monster, so she shook it of as she ran off into the wilds. That was the last that she had seen the young Soviet alive and a slowly growing part of the vicious country truly hoped that he'd survive._


	6. Falling Fast

Thanks for waiting for this! This and the following chapters are more about the three Baltics' involvement with Espiranza and Ivan's relationship. Silly Baltics, but hey, it's what I would do!

Any suggestions and reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

Getting up the next morning was a feat indeed as the drowsy Espiranza stretched out and quickly retracted back into the warmth of her bed. With new clothes in the closet, Espiranza now had no excuse to leave Ivan's home. Frustrated, she curled up further into the bed, growling to herself once again for not thinking about the consequences of gambling with a Russian. Rubbing her neck, she peaked tentatively back over the blankets where her face was met with the cold air once again. Over next to the door, there was a fur robe that had been hanging there since she had first got the room.

Planning her attack on the fur, she tensed up and gripped the edge of the blankets. With a finalized plan, she threw the blankets off as she swung her legs out and over the edge of the bed. As soon as her feet hit the floor, Espiranza leapt over the other side of the room where the robe hung dauntingly and grabbed the sleeve, bringing the rest down with her. Landing crouched on the ground; she pulled the robe over her shoulders and slowly stood up. Satisfied with the result of wearing the expensive pelt, she opened the door and darted down the hall with an effortless grace.

Swinging around the staircase, the energized and brisk young Mexican watched as Ivan's three underlings broke apart from conversation. "Buenos días, mi bellozos." She watched as Eduard cleared his throat nervously. "What's all this, then?" The vivacious Hispanic girl raised her eyebrows. She knew she had no authority to question them, but Espiranza didn't like secrets kept from her. Her good mood was hidden by a foreboding look of impatience.

Eduard was the only one that spoke up. "Miss Vasquez, this is Toris," He indicated to the slightly shorter brunette who smiled gently back to her. "and this is Raivas." Eduard then directed towards the tiny younger boy who quivered a bit but smiled back as well.

Espiranza nodded at the two, but persisted in her question. "I'm glad to finally have met the both of you, but what was all the whispering?" She squinted her eyes as she watched the three of them.

Toris piped up happily, noticing the gray fur robe that the girl was adorned with. "Well, we were going to bring up Mister Ivan's coffee because he had a late night with all the Nation paperwork he had to do," He stopped briefly. "But, well, I also need to prepare a lunch for him."

"Yeah, he hasn't eaten all night so he's p-probably really hungry." Raivas looked at Eduard quickly before going back to Espiranza who raised her eyebrows even higher in disbelief.

"Really." Espiranza stated. The three guys seemed convincing, but not enough to convince her. Espiranza ignored their excuses and just assumed that they just feared the Russian. "Fine then." She sighed as she walked into the kitchen.

Toris quickly jumped into the kitchen before her and produced a large lidded mug, handing it to Espiranza.

Looking the young man right into his crystal blues eyes, she complied, taking the coffee mug and glaring at all of them playfully. "I won't do this for all of you again, Comprende?" She winked at them as she turned and made her way back up the stairs.

Espiranza didn't notice as the three Baltics turned to each other and pounded fists for their accomplishment after which they all followed Toris into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

* * *

Back upstairs, Espiranza strolled down to the end of the hallway and knocked loudly on Ivan's door. She pretended for a second that she was the quivering Raivas as she mumbled through the door. "S-sir." She feebly squeaked, suppressing torrents of giggles as she continued. "Sir, I brought you some coffee."

"Come in then, da?" His voice was slightly heavy with exhaustion as he permitted her access.

She turned the door knob slowly and walked into the room. She found him sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. Apparently, he had not yet noticed that she was not one of his subordinates so she walked over as quietly as possible and handed him the mug.

Ivan mindlessly took the mug not sparing her a glance as he kept rubbing his head with his free hand. "Raivas, has Espiranza gotten up yet?" He gripped the mug with both hands and stared off into the wall.

"Sí, Señor." She used her smoothest voice but almost burst into giggles when the newly awoken Russian jumped up slightly in his bed, nearly choking on smoldering black coffee.

Ivan looked over to see the Mexican girl with a mischievous look on her face wearing a long gray fur robe that made her look even more magnificent, distracting him from his scolding throat. Her long hair was pulled over her shoulders and her face lit up with one of her smiles. "Ah, good morning, jungle cat." He rubbed his head again as he opened the lid to the mug and began to sip at the black coffee. It was hard to keep his eyes off the appealing woman that was now in his room as she seemed to grow tired of standing and sat next to him on the bed. "Are you ready to begin our game today?" He inquired as he felt Russia awaken at the sight of her on his bed.

"I'd much rather you tell me where my bag is, Señor." She turned and looked into his purple eyes, recalling their very first meeting and how she had thought she had taken his life. Her heart ached a bit at the fact that she had almost killed him when he had done nothing to wrong her. If anything, Espiranza was a fair person and doing such an injustice to someone did not sit well with her. Nevertheless, here he was, not dead, so she returned to her thoughts on her satchel.

Ivan giggled. "Then there'd be no game, little one." He took another sip as he watched her sigh in relief at something. It couldn't have been about her bag. "What troubles you, Espiranza?" Her name rolled out of his mouth pleasantly as she responded to her name.

"Nothing," She got up suddenly and began to leave when the robe and her still weak arm didn't seem to want to leave with her. Ivan had grabbed her wrist effortlessly with one strong hand as he sipped, this time successfully, from his mug.

"Sit and tell me." With an easy tug, Espiranza fell back to the bed, her hair falling out of her face and she too bounced on the bed. Ivan moved a bit closer as he repeated his question. "Now what troubles you?"

His abruptness reminded her again of that day and she blushed and turned away, suddenly vulnerable.

Ivan noticed a hint of the hungry gold before she had looked away. He, too, remembered their meeting and how he had almost died that day. He smiled to himself as he remembered the kiss that almost killed him.

"I must apologize to you, Ivan." The normally abrasive girl almost whispered to him as she looked away.

Resisting the overwhelming urge to hold her, Ivan played as if he had no idea what she would apologize for. "For what?"

She took a breath. "For trying to kill you!" She beamed at Ivan as she looked over at him. _If I had killed him, I would've died out in the train. _Her somber thoughts, hidden unsuccessfully by her smile, made her unaware of Ivan as he moved closer to her.

The delighted Russian wrapped his arms around Espiranza and squeezed her tightly. "D'aaw, it's okay!" She let out a groan as he squeezed her arm causing him to loosen his grip slightly. "You also helped me survive, Da?"

Now out of breath, Espiranza struggled against the solid man that held on to her, finally getting free as she stood up in front of him. "I do not recall." All her defenses went up when he recounted her moment of mercy. A moment she deemed weakness.

"Hm?" Ivan wore a confused expression on his face as he looked up at the now standing woman with big lilac eyes. His own face darkened as did his eyes. "You are lying."

Quickly sensing the danger, her body tensed as she shot an equally dangerous look back at the Russian.

Ivan continued, his voice still sweet but there was a sick twist to it that reminded Espiranza of why she had attempted to destroy the Soviet. "Don't lie to me, little one."

"It was coincidence that that flower had been the cure for my poison. Not any kind of merciful act." Now she was lying to the both of them.

A faint cry from Toris came from the door signaling that he and his co-workers had finished preparing lunch. Taking the opportunity, Espiranza turned swiftly, robe floating around her body, and left the room. As she slowly walked down hall, she could feel Mexico inside her tugging Espiranza to go back. _You're too power hungry. _Espiranza thought to the country. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned and yearningly looked back towards Ivan's door. _No. _She stated to Mexico, and began to descend. _It is not best for my country_.

Ivan quickly got dressed, occasionally stopping to recall his impulsive action of hugging the fierce girl. He would blush and go back to dressing himself, blush again, and then remember how she had felt in his arms. _She was lying._ He thought.

For the first time in many years, Ivan was happy to be around someone. And not just his usual violent meetings with his servants, but felt fortunate to have Espiranza around. At least until the next world meeting.


	7. The Deepest Thrill

So soon? Yup! Decided it would make up for my lack of writing. So, this is kind of a pretty bad cliff hanger, and I kinda hate myself for doing this. Sorry.

However, I promise to write a really good Ch 8!

* * *

Lunch came and went as slow as it possibly could. Ivan and Espiranza never looked away from either's food (which was some form of grilled cheese and vegetables), both for obviously different reasons. During this awkard meal, Toris, Eduard, and Raivas all watched from the safety of the kitchen.

"They're not talking? Why aren't they talking?" Raivas, who was victimized the most by Ivan, whispered almost frantically. "They have to talk!"

"Calm down, Raivas." Eduard nervously held the younger boy by his shoulders.

"If they don't like each other, he'll go back to torturing us! Probably even worse than before!" Raivas had tears is his dark blues eyes as he looked up at the two elders.

Eduard peaked back into the dining room to see a change in neither Ivan nor Espiranza. He sighed and came back to his counterparts. "Given the circumstances of her arrival and the restrictions of her imminent departure," He looked up quickly and then back to Toris and Raivas. "This situation is bound to be tense and allow for slow growing relationships."

"I don't think so." Toris said after a peak of his own at the two people. He looked kindly to Eduard. "I think that there's already something growing between them." He beamed.

Eduard recalled his conversation with Espiranza when he had been with her to buy her clothes. "True. They definitely have history. A history that she has not let go."

Toris shook his head. "No, that's not it. I can just tell." He looked comfortingly to Raivas, who had stopped whimpering. "I'll make a phone call to see if I can speed things up." He stood up and walked out of the kitchen through the back hall, leaving Eduard with Raivas.

After lunch, Espiranza began her investigation of Ivan's house for her satchel. She overturned as many artifacts and assorted things that she could and never came up with anything. However, because of his knowledge of the Mexican's destructive abilities, Ivan made sure to keep a close eye on her all that week, though he didn't complain. Toris had also made a few phone calls so Ivan wasn't the only one that seemed to watch the girl labor. As she searched, Espiranza would often come across boxes of tomatoes, dried pasta, and assortments of random pickled vegetables. Impatiently, she'd often throw them off to the side much to the dismay of Toris.

"Feliks, nothing's working!" Toris said to his 'friend' on the other end of the phone. "Are you just messing with me with those other things? Do you understand that she only has a week to fall in love with him or then it's back to brutalizing me and Eduard and Raivas!"

There was a crunching coming from the other end before a glitzy voice came through the receiver. "Dude, like, calm down. I don't even know what this chick is like." More crunching. " By the way, I'm, like, totally thinking about painting my room pink right now. What do you think, Liet?"

"Feliks! My life is on the line! Please take this seriously!"

"Geez. Okaay. By the way, those things totally work . Trust me. Anyway…" Some more crunching. "Okay. Try this…"

Friday Morning and Espiranza woke up at 5 in the morning to the now familiar cold slap in the face from General Winter. She reached up for the gray fur robe (that she now kept hanging on the headboard of her bed for convenience) and slowly slipped into it from her bed. Her arm was now functional, though still a bit sore, and no longer required the heavy bandages that it did before. Managing to drag herself out of bed, Espiranza unexpectedly lumbered down to the living room of the hopelessly large home. Toris was so accustom to her spirited attitude that he almost hadn't noticed her lying pathetically on the couch. That, and, honestly, why would someone else be up so early?

"Miss, I did not expect to see you here." Toris walked over and stood in front of one end of the couch, still keeping a safe distance.

"Hola, Toris." She was curled up on one side, draped in the elegant fur, making sure that he had not yet seen her face.

There was a brief silence between them before Toris finally spoke up. "Ah, how is your search going, Miss?"

"Horrible. I can never leave."

"But the Next world meeting is not even a week away…"

"I cannot leave without that bag, Niño. I just can't."

He fully understood her feelings. He too had experienced it when he was taken away from his own country. That aching when you knew that you wouldn't be going home soon. He also hadn't seen Feliks for so very long and, from his own experience with the sassy Polish man, knew how it must be tearing her apart to be away from her brothers and her country. Ignoring the idea Feliks' had had of somehow getting both her and Ivan completely soaked, Toris moved in next to her and whispered almost inaudibly to Espiranza. "Miss, Sir Ivan has a compartment in the headboard of his bed." Toris quickly checked around when he heard movement from upstairs. "Check in there. Perhaps that is where your bag is stored."

Espiranza turned one eye up to Toris who was startled by both the ignition in her almost yellow eye and the sound of a familiarly terrifying voice in front of his.

"Litva!" Ivan almost sang to Toris who had jumped up and hurried over to his master fearfully. "What were you doing. Litva?" Ivan looked over the young brunette to the sofa where he could not see the Mexican girl laying quietly, but somehow knew she was there anyway.

"N-nothing, Sir." He mumbled as he hurried off to the kitchen where, no doubt, Raivas and Eduard awaited.

Ivan ignored the Lithuanian and walked over to find Espiranza breathing steadily as if sleeping. He stopped and leaned over the back of the couch and poked at her arm. "Hey, uh… Espiranza?" When there was no reaction except for a slight whimper of slumber, Ivan stopped prodding her arm and walked around to face her. Her hair had fallen slightly over her face as she cuddled her uninjured arm, her face slightly buried in the gray fur. Delicately as possible to him, Ivan slid his arms under her back and her legs, lifting her up off the couch. Electricity seemed to tingle through his face as lifted up the beautiful girl.

Toris tentatively watched as she seemed to lean into Ivan's chest innocently as he began to carry her back upstairs. _I wonder who is in more danger…_ He thought to himself before turning away.

Ivan made it up the stairs easily and began to walk to Espiranza's room before both of her arms wrapped themselves sluggishly, but firmly, around his neck, her eyes still shut as she slept.

Dilemma time. Ivan continued walking to her room and managed to open her door and shut it before he came up to the bed. Espiranza was gingerly set down but Ivan continued to lean over her when her arms didn't release. Ivan's heart seemed to beat faster than normal as he began to tilt his head in a reluctant attempt to free himself from the woman's grip when a pair of now yellow eyes shot open directly at Ivan.

Immediately, she untangled her own hands and whipped them down to Ivan's pulling them back so he was still leaning over her, but he no longer had any control of the situation. She had sat up as she had grabbed the Russian's wrist and now pierced his gaze with her own fierce one.

_"Where is my satchel?"_

_

* * *

_And there it is.

Once again, I promise to finish soon!_  
_


	8. Despite the signs

Ch 8

Espiranza, now livid, gripped tightly to the Russians wrist preventing any attempts at an escape.

However, Ivan had no plan whatsoever to free himself. He leaned in, eyes wide with curiosity. "You know that I cannot tell you, Da? Or are you dumber than you look?" He expected her to retaliate with physical violence and was ready for the excitement.

However, his comment went without punishment as Espiranza completely focused on the man. Eyes sharp and deadly, she rose as she continued to command the Russian. "Tell me _exactly _where it is." Toris' assumption may or may not have been right, but, being the proud country that she was, she would've rather acquired the information on her own.

She was now looking down on Ivan who was on eye level with her slim waist. "Hmmmm…" He looked up to the ceiling and then back up at the girl. "Nope!" With a quick smile, Ivan twirled his wrist around, releasing himself from Espiranza's hold. Her own hands were quickly taken up into his as he pulled them apart, causing her to fall back onto the bed and thus losing her position of control.

Now she was pinned to the bed as Ivan sat next to her, fingers securely entwined with hers as he held her down and made struggling useless. When she finally stopped, she looked frantically up at Ivan who continued to smile at her. "Now see? Staying still was a smart thing, Da?" Though secretly, he wanted her to fight back.

Against the will of her country, Espiranza began to calm down at the lack of distance between them. Mexico growled at the defeat. _Hijo de puta. _Espiranza's forehead tingled as Ivan's blonde hair barely brushed over her skin, bringing the rest of his features to her attention. Despite his teasing, Ivan's eyes were dark with the power of his country, no doubt creating an internal conflict for the Russian. Today, he smelled less of alcohol and more of flour for some reason. It being almost 6 in the morning, he no doubt hadn't yet indulged in his favourite drink.

Ivan couldn't help but stare as Espiranza's eyes grew soft and dark again. He also couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. All her fire was now gone and with it, the exciting warrior he remembered. And yet, at the same time, his heart still raced as he breathed in the smell of flowers that he recognized as her scent. He had fallen for, not only the wild, striking warrior, but now, Ivan realized, he might just love this much-more-docile-than-before version as well.

Espiranza was surprised when one of Ivan's hands released her and swept his hand over her cheek. She didn't move as what felt like electricity sparked under her skin. What was going on? She hadn't taken the opportunity to flee nor to fight the man. She just laid there like an intoxicated school girl.

The electricity returned, but this time, more powerful and in her lips as Ivan closed the distance between them. The kiss was brief and tender before Ivan pulled reluctantly away. They're gazes met, both full of confusion and affection.

As though snapped out of a dream, Ivan shot up, turned sharply, and left as hastily as he could manage without running, closing the door loudly behind him.

As soon as the door closed Espiranza sat up in the same awakened manner that Ivan had. Briefly, she touched her lips and remembered the electricity that was now gone.

Toris sighed, preparing to pick up and preserve the food that went uneaten when he heard a door slam and loud tromping coming down the steps. Soon, Ivan appeared in front of the door, grabbing his spare tan coat and grabbing the door knob.

He turned slightly and called to Toris over his shoulder. "Make sure there is food for our guest when she reawakens, Da?" He opened the door and wind wrapped itself around Ivan as his scarf flew around in protest to General Winter's embrace.

Blinking, Toris stared dumbstruck at the door as it slammed shut. _I wonder what's wrong with Ivan. _Curious, Toris took a cup of coffee and trekked upstairs to Espiranza's room. Knocking three times, he opened the door a crack. "Miss Vasquez, I brought you some coffee."

"Toris," She said his name so softly that he barely heard her but took the response as permission to enter and did so.

Espiranza was sitting up in bed, the comforter now over her legs and staring out the window next to her. He placed the coffee on the nightstand and waited for a second before saying anything.

"Miss Vasquez, are you alright?" He rested his hand on her shoulder softly, but timidly.

"Toris!" She turned and smiled at him suddenly. "I've known you long enough for you to call me Espiranza, cabrón." She chuckled a bit and put her hand on his accepting the Lithuanians reassurance.

"Espiranza, what's wrong?" He repeated.

Toris reminded Espiranza of her brother, Matthew for that split second and it was enough for her to break down a bit. A tear escaped her eye, startling Toris, but he did not leave her side. In fact, he sat down on the edge of her bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

This time she remembered both of her brothers and started crying softly into Toris' shoulder. Her brothers were the most important to Espiranza and here she was across the world in Ivan's home. "I miss mi hermanos, Toris." She spoke weakly into Toris' shoulder. "I miss them so much."

"And you want to go back home." He guessed as much. Being tricked into staying with a crazy Russian wasn't what anyone planned to do and the fact that Eduard, Raivas, and himself were all trying to get her to stay probably didn't help the situation. He suddenly felt so guilty for trying to make her fall in love with Ivan that his own stomach began to wrench in disgust at his selfishness.

"But, I do not." She stated softly.

"What?" Toris couldn't help but voice his surprise.

"I want to go home, Toris. I do," She looked up at the young man and couldn't stop herself from talking. "But I do not want to leave. I want to stay here." She stopped herself barely.

"With Ivan?" He couldn't help but ask.

"No! No no no no no." She pulled away from Toris defensively and began shaking her head. "Of course not! He is so..." She paused, but could think of nothing that she didn't like about Ivan. "No." She looked out the window again at the swirling winds of General Winter. She couldn't afford to be so selfish, could she? She had to get back to her country, to her brothers. This life in Russia was temporary and Espiranza knew it all along, but what reason did she have for not finding her bag. It wasn't because she didn't try. Espiranza didn't want to leave. "I love Ivan…"

Toris didn't smile, but took the opportunity and left to tell his fellow servants.

Mission Accomplished.

Ivan wandered his land again, pain in his heart and butterflies in his stomach as he ignored snow and ice that seemed to gnaw at his clothes. _She can't stay. She needs to be in her country. With her brothers. _

_Но она не хочет, чтобы вернуться._ {But she does not want to go back.}

Ivan stopped walking when Russia said something that didn't involve forcing Mexico to become one with Russia. _How do you know?_

_ Вы действительно думаете, что она не нашла бы ее сумку к настоящему времени? Помните ее истории. Теперь подумайте. Почему бы ей остановиться? _{Do you really think that she would not have found her bag by now? Remember her history. Now think. Why would she stay?}

_Does she care about me?_

Russia did not answer Ivan, but the butterflies in his stomach proved to be enough for Ivan. He would be so thrilled if that were true. Then the truth came back to him. Espiranza had to go back to Mexico. She had to go to her brothers, and she could not stay with him long from now. He had four days left with her and had to make them count.


	9. Alpha and Omega

**I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED! Thank you all that read, critiqued, and commented on my story! A special thanks to those that helped with with the maddening writer's blocked I suffered so severely! You guys are amazing!

* * *

`~'~`~'~`~'**

Ivan returned late rather late and was soaked with cold water that entered the floor as he entered the house. Immediately, Raivas and Eduard took his Jackets and replaced them with an unnaturally large, fluffy white towel. He rubbed his head with the welcoming clothe and made his way upstairs, oblivious to the shaking nations who had retreated back into the safety of the kitchen.

Marching upstairs as quietly as possible was the only thing that Ivan had been concerned with. It was far too late and he didn't want to awaken the Hispanic girl that slept in the room next door. Managing to make it to his room brought him a bit of relief as he disappeared into its darkness.

* * *

Not only did Ivan return home late, he awoke the following morning groggy and nervous for what today would bring. Without a doubt, Espiranza had been the only thing on his mind and thus, Ivan didn't get nearly the amount of sleep that was required for him. Nevertheless, he stretched his stiff limbs and hummed to himself. _Whatever comes shall come. _

Russia snickered in the back of Ivan's subconscious as Ivan got up and dressed himself_. 'Это бесполезно, ребенка. Она никогда не будет любить тебя.' _**{ It's useless, child. She will never love you.**}.

_I am no child. I can think for myself. _Ivan slipped an arm through his jacket followed by the other and proceeded to go downstairs. Just because he had become more independent from his vicious country's personality didn't necessarily mean that his thoughts were organized in anyway. He walked out of his room with a smile as Russia tsked in the background.

Breakfast was prepared. Ivan could practically taste the coffee that was brewing as he walking through the living room to get to the kitchen. The conflicting aromas that diffused into the air never brought so much pleasure to Ivan. That is until he went into the kitchen.

He wasn't greeted by a hug or a kiss which he had hoped for ever so much. Neither was he greeted by a swift kick to the head which he was expecting. The only thing that had been waiting for Ivan was the jumble of edibles on the table and a shivering Eduard who stood in front of the coffee machine. Eduard jumped the slightest bit when he saw Ivan, but stood his ground much better than either of his co-servants would.

"Доброе утро, Eduard." Ivan hid his dislike behind his sweet smile as he most often did. "Where is everyone?" He looked around innocently as Eduard spoke.

"Ah, well, Toris is, ah, cleaning up somewhere and, ah, Raivas is, ah, out buying more groceries, sir." Eduard gripped his hands together and was wringing them out as he spoke to Ivan.

"And Espiranza?"

_Oh god. _"Ah, I-I don't know, sir." Eduard, who is always two steps ahead when it comes to danger, forgot all about his escape plan as Ivan's features began to darken by the second.

"What do you mean?" Ivan's voice was cruel and childish as he stepped closer to Eduard.

"Sh-she is not in her room sir," another step closer, "And I-I have yet to see her this m-morning," two more, "A-and-d, uh." By this time, Russia was starting to emerge as Ivan approached the now trembling Estonian. A large, leather gloved hand latched to his shoulder, forcing Eduard to face a more gruesome, and clearly upset, Ivan.

"Eduard." Ivan grinned sweetly at the frightened man he held on to as Eduard managed to stammer out a reply.

"S-sir, she's gone."

* * *

`~'~`~'~`~'

* * *

The three Baltics stood in the doorway as their disgruntled Master entered the waiting car. It had only been two days since they had discovered that Espiranza had 'found' her satchel and fled back the North America. Fear was immediately returned to the home and all three of the Baltic servants were relieved, to say the least, that Ivan now had to go to a World Meeting. They wasted no time in booking first class seats on a private Russian jet and renting a deep navy Rolls Royce shipped especially from England for Ivan.

Ivan threw his bags into the Royce unimpressed with the notoriety of the vehicle and entered it without a word and without a singular glance back at his servants. The Royce growled slightly as it awoke and it pulled away from the building and off to the airport. Despite the car being British, it did, in fact, make Ivan feel a bit better that he didn't have to ride it a ratty taxi that smelled of vomit and rotten garlic.

"_Это все как и должно быть__**{Everything is as it should be}**__". _Russia murmured in the back of Ivan' s mind. Now that he was no longer forcing Russia down, the Country comfortably inhabited Ivan's subconscious, picking out warm feelings and replacing them with malice and guile. _"Вы должны были знать лучше, чем верить, что грубая женщина.__**{You should have known better than to trust that brute of a woman.}**__" _Russia chuckled a bit, tickling the back of Ivan's mind causing his host to quiver. Russia sighed. "Если вы только что выслушали меня, товарищ. Тогда она не могла не оставили. **{If you had just listened to me, comrade. Then she couldn't have left.}**"

"_дa. I know." _

The trip took much longer than necessary what with Russia terrify the driver into missing exits and causing them to miss their original flight. The jet that Toris had booked had been snatched when Ivan had not shown up in time and, hence, Ivan had to fly the public airline. The people were noisy but, with a look from Russia, they silenced in fear. The quiet roar of the plane eventually lulled Ivan into a restless slumber, during which the silence was maintained.

Upon finally arriving in England, Ivan had been through security more than enough and was about ready to eat the soul of the obese guard that continued to indulge in a glazed delight while Ivan suffered. To top it all off, a nasty yellow cab driven by a man with an extremely high voice awaited Ivan. Hesitantly crouching down into the beaten car, Ivan told the man the address and was off to the meeting.

* * *

'~`~'~`~'

* * *

_'At least nobody bothered me.'_ With the usual arguing over trivial subjects, Ivan merely had to sit through the meeting silently, gripping the edge of his chair as he watched the clock tick away sluggishly. Upon its final conclusion, he was the first one to vanish and head back to the hotel that Toris had reserved for him. However, Ivan barely made it out of the conference room before he was immediately rendered immobilized.

The last thing that he heard was the door behind him shut before a tanned body flew at him from what appeared to be the ceiling. Ivan reacted just in time to 'catch' the form as he crashed against a nearby wall and a vase that sat nearby.

The vase shattered as he was met with fierce chocolate eyes. A smile infected his features as he recognized the smell of flowers and spices.

"Hola." Espiranza cooed as she held him firmly in place. "You've kept me waiting, Russian."

Ivan chuckled a bit and easily shook her hand off. "Ah, well you made your choice, comrade." He began to leave before he was hit again by her deft hand.

"Surely you must know, compañero," Espiranza's hand reached into her leopard pelt pouch as her eyes stayed fixed on Ivan. "One can only stay away from their country for so long."

"It doesn't matter." Ivan shook her off a second time fighting the urge to pull her close. "Our bet is done. You won."

"Yes, well." She pulled out a small tube filled with red goo, handed it off to her now free hand and handed it to Ivan. "This is for you."

Ivan popped the top off to be met with a sweet fruity aroma. He kept an eye on the Mexican's hand that was still in her satchel as he closed the top. "Thank you."

Espiranza flashed a smile and with it, her other hand flew out of the bag and went for Ivan's face. He narrowly dodged the attack as he pushed her hand out of the way.

She punched the wall instead. Using her weight, Espiranza slammed into the recovering man. She held his head in her hands and brought her forehead to Ivan's, pulling him down so as to reach.

There was a familiar bitter scent as what felt like a tiny bug bit into Ivan's cheek. "Sleep, Russian." Her accent repeated in Ivan's mind as his face numbed and his vision began to fade. The last thing he saw was her dark eyes tint glimmer with gold.

* * *

`~'~`~'~`~'

* * *

"Hey! Espi!" The very blonde Alfred ran up to catch up to his sister. Matthew followed eagerly behind carrying the encumbering puff ball of a bear. "Wait up!" The two brothers ran up to their sister who had just slammed shut the back of her red SUV. Matthew panted a bit when the two made it to the large vehicle. Alfred, ever full of energy, quickly chastised his sister for leaving. "You only just got back! Stay longer!"

"I'm sorry, but there's something I need to take care of in Mexico." Espiranza smiled innocently as she walked to the driver's side of the car.

Alfred made a puppy dog face and pulled his sister into a strong hug. Matthew put his bear down and waited for his sister to be released.

"Espiranza, I really hope that you will come over to my house some time." Matthew whispered as his sister pulled away from Alfred, pecking him on the cheek as she did.

"Of course, Matthew!" She she pulled him into an equally strong embrace and whispered very quietly into her younger's ear as she did. "I will come over soon, mi hermano. A friend and I." She pecked him quickly on the cheek and pulled away. Matthew blinked a bit and looked at Alfred who only shrugged of his brother's confusion.

Espiranza opened the car door and jumped into the seat as her brothers watched her. "Oh! And Matthew! Make sure to bring Gilbert!" She started the car and it roared to life in time to Matthew blushing as Alfred turn to him red with anger. Espiranza called again for the last time. "And thanks for the car, Alfred! Adios!"

* * *

`~'~`~'~'

* * *

Ivan struggled to open his eyes. When he eventually succeeded, he was laying on a large bed with thick striped blankets on it. The smells around him were of burning wood and spices and complimented the muffled sounds of animals outside. _Where am I?_ Ivan calmly asked Russia hoping the all-knowing country would surely hold the answer.

There was no response. He was truly alone.

Ivan quickly reached into his coat pocket to grab for his flask of vodka but his finger where not met with the familiar cold metal. Instead, there was a rough piece of paper stuck in his jacket along with the tiny tube. He took out the paper and read it to himself.

_I will make you a deal. If you can find your flask and whatever else I may or may not have taken, you will be free to leave. If not, you may stay until the next world meeting. _

Ivan smiled and looked around. There could only be so many places to look in this tiny wooden home.

Getting up, he walked over to the door, into the hallway and found himself in a small kitchen. He continued and found himself outside on a small farm. He spotted the Hispanic girl caring for a large black bull and walked over to her.

The bulls red eyes bore into Ivan, but it remained still as Espiranza redirected her attention to Ivan. "Ah! Señor Ivan. You have awakened!" She walked over to him and he halted as she now stood in front of him in all her glory. "I hope you are well rested, Señor."

Ivan smiled a bit and pulled her close, ignoring the increasing animosity in the bull. "I don't think I will need much energy to find my belongings in such a small home, little jungle cat." Russia was still strangely silent and Ivan was increasingly pleased for the freedom.

"I did not say your stuff was in the house." Espiranza looked over her shoulder. "You must search the country." She smirked as her arms moved to rest on his shoulders, her fingers hooked together to keep hold of the tall Russian.

"Then I suppose I will be here long, da?" The irritated bull began trying to wedge himself between the two and in response Ivan pulled the woman even closer, defying the animal even further.

She smiled down at her defeated companion and then back up at Ivan. "I guess so, mi torero."

* * *

**There is historical value in the garb I have finally finished. There was a primarily Russian settlement in America called the Molokane settlements. In 1907, the elders of this settlement were upset at how the American life negatively influenced their young men. So they all packed up and moved to Mexico and reintroduced the young men to the work of agriculture**

**Here's the link to this information.**

..

**Thanks all that read this and put up with my overwhelming procrastination!**


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